Venus & Mona Lisa

Today was spectacular, and we are beginning to get the gist of being Parisians.. We especially like the crepes! Lots and lots of walking and a subway ride and a taxi ride too! We haven't downloaded the photos yet... Will soon... Btw we now are acclimated to eating late! Paris comes alive at night. Love to all!

In Paris

Can't believe we're actually here... Love our apartment .... Everything is so old! Took the "historic walk", a bus ride, ate at a sidewalk cafe... Saw many famous sites... But definitely feeling jet lag:)

We are so spoiled!

Since Jay works on the House floor, we were treated to a behind the scenes tour of the Capitol! We went into the House of Representatives and he showed us where everyone sits during the State of the Union address. By the way, we were the only ones inside the chambers! It was closed to the public.He took us to his office... It was incredible! We took several photos of his office and the view from his balcony. Jay explained many of the historical backgrounds of paintings, statues, etc. we also went to the National Cathedral and the Library of Congress. We took many shots of monuments and the White House as we were driving. We spent lots of time recounting our days as students of Westmont College in Santa Barbara! What an awesome blessing it has been to be together with them this 24 hours!!!

Princess Belle is 5!!!!!

Talia Rose is celebrating her fifth birthday a bit early with G & G T! That's because we will be leaving on our "trip of a lifetime" this Friday!

An Autumn We'll Never Forget...

On September 2nd, our eleventh grandchild, Alethia Joy Thomasson, was born to Mike and Evelyn and siblings -- Sophia, Nathanael, Luke and Timothy. She's a little beauty who seems good natured and already well-adjusted to being handled and bounced around by her rambunctious admirers. Grandma and Grandpa stayed with the four older youngsters while Mom and Dad stayed in the hospital. It was quite an eventful stay for us seniors!! How'd we ever do this in the past???

On September 17th, Jon's doctor told Jon that he suspected that he had lymphoma. The next day, Jon had a CT scan that confirmed the doctor's suspicions. Suddenly, our lives took on a whole new dimension as we all tried to fathom what this news meant. Never before had any of us faced so personally our ultimate mortality... It shook us all to the core. We realized that God was with us... and since then, God has sustained us all. Prayers have reached our Father's ears, and He has been merciful... Jon has gone through five of his twelve chemo treatments. He's lost his hair, but not his smile. Talia Rose has been a constant joy in the lives of Jon and Erin... It is impossible to not reflect Talia's laughter and giggles and pure fascination with everything in her path. Her new own little kitchen has been the scene of hours and hours of her attention as she cooks us all our suppers and gives us pretend glasses filled with cubes from her ice-maker..

Balboa or Bust!!!!!!!!!!

Our family all got together this month to celebrate Mike's graduation from The Master's Seminary.

Jim, Melody and Eric joined Mike and Evelyn on Saturday night to attend a special banquet in honor of the graduates.

Brian and Jen and kids arrived from Colorado that night as well to our rented beach house on the Balboa Peninsula. Later that evening, Jon, Erin and Talia also arrived... with all the cousins finally meeting the newest members of the family.... Talia and Matheson.

For Mike's graduation, his entire family of 19 watched as he received his Masters of Divinity Degree with honors! It was a proud moment for us all. And.... all the cousins met another new cousin... Timothy!!! It was awesome to all be together after being apart for two years.

Next Jon celebrated his 29th birthday on May 12th....

On Tuesday, we hit Disneyland. We had a blast!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday was the day for geocaching and going on a cruise of Balboa Bay

and catching a couple mackerel!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday... the ladies hit the American Girl Place in Beverly Hills...

We had a few more walks on the beach... and just enjoyed each other's company. It was a dream come true for us Grandparents!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You Have Been Tagged!

Recently, I was tagged by Erin to participate in a questionnaire about my favorite reads. It took me a while to get around to it, but it was fun to actually reminisce about books that had in some way touched my heart. As an elementary school teacher, I've often been enraptured with the books that I was able to introduce to my students. Part of that joy was seeing young readers discover the beauty of good writing.

Often, my adult reads have been restricted to vacation time... when I actually had the time to complete something I started. Now that I'm retired, I've once again begun to frequent the local library. I often pick up new books... Lately, I've enjoyed the series on England's queens by Phillippa Gregory. I've also tried to read several of the books on Oprah's BookClub list. One of my all time favorites was Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. I totally forgot to mention it in the questionnaire. I think it's hard to equate my best reads.... It's an ongoing process for me.

Anyway, if you're one of those people I zapped, have fun and don't sweat it. It's kind of enjoyable once you get started....


I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!
Here it is!
1.) One book that changed your life.
The Bible, and in particular …. The Gospels and Acts.
When I went away to Westmont College in 1965, these books came alive to me. They were inspired by God… and they inspired me to dedicate my life to following Him. I can remember being struck to my core by the teachings of Jesus. I continue to base my life on them.

2.) One book that you have read more than once.

Hmmm…. The Honorable Imposter by Gilbert Morris
This book is the first in Morris’ series called “The House of Winslow”. I like to read this book each year right before Thanksgiving, to remind myself of what our ancestors went through to make America the “land of the free”…

3.) One book you would want on a desert island.

Definitely, The Bible, and in particular, The Psalms.

4.) Two books that made you laugh.

1. All Creatures Great and Small…. or any other books by James Herriott. I find his adventures as a rural veterinarian…. incredibly enjoyable. His descriptions of life in the British Isles cause me to want to visit there.
2. The Grass Grows Greener Over the Septic Tank… or any other books by Erma Bombeck. I find her to have captured the joy and riddles of life of a suburban housewife….

5.) One book that made you cry.

Two come to mind…… as being very touching…. to me.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith and
A Patch of Blue by Elizabeth Kata

6.) One book you wish you'd written.

This one eludes me…. I highly respect authors of children’s literature that bestow wonder and imagination on their readers…. Perhaps The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, or even one of the Harry Potter series… by J.K. Rowling.

7.) One book you wish had never been written.

Mein Kampf by Adolph Hitler. His legacy of hatred showed the depravity of man in full expression.

8.) Two books you are currently reading.

A Rose for the Crown by Anne Easter Smith
A Woman’s Journey to the Heart of God by Cynthia Heald.

9.) One book you've been meaning to read.

Traveling Light by Max Lucado.I actually began this book several years ago and never finished it.

***For the 1-2-3 meme, the directions are:1) Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).2) Open the book to page 123.3) Find the fifth sentence.4) Post the next three sentences.5) Tag five people.

Sunset Western Garden Book
“Begonia, tuberous (zones 4-9, 14-24; H1)
Campanula isophylla (Italian Bellflower) (zones 2-9, 14-24)
Campanula portenschlagiana (Dalmatian Bellflower) (zones 2-9, 14-24)”

Tagged:

,Pennie, Anna, Kathy D., Bonnie Pat